Kansas City Chiefs to Relocate to New domed Stadium in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday they will leave their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium for a new, domed stadium that will be built across the Kansas-Missouri state line and be ready for the start of the 2031 season.

The declaration came shortly after a council of Kansas lawmakers voted unanimously inside a packed room at the state Capitol to allow for STAR bonds to be issued to cover up to 70 percent of the cost of the stadium and accompanying mixed-use district.

The bonds will be paid off with state sales and liquor tax revenues generated in a defined area around it.

“The location of Chiefs games will change,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said, “but some things won’t change. Our fans will still be the loudest in the NFL, our games will still be the best place in the world to tailgate, and our players and coaches will be ready to compete for championships, as on the field or off the field, we are big dreamers, and we’re ready for the next chapter.”

The Chiefs intend to build their new stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, near the Kansas Speedway and a retail and entertainment district known as The Legends. The area is also home to Children’s Mercy Park,the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City.

The team will build a new practice facility, too, in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, Kansas.

“Today’s announcement is truly historic. Actually, it’s a little surreal,” Kansas gov. Laura Kelly said. “Today’s announcement will touch the lives of Kansans for generations to come.Today’s announcement is a total game-changer for our state.”

“We have always been Chiefs fans,” Kelly said.”Now we are Chiefs family.”

The move by the Chiefs is a massive blow to Missouri lawmakers and Gov. Mike Kehoe, who had been working on their own funding package to prevent a third NFL franchise and the second in a decade from leaving its borders. The rams left St. Louis for Los Angeles in part due to their inability to secure funding to help replace The Dome at america’s Center.

Kehoe had backed a special legislative session in June to authorize bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.

“For more than 50 years, we’ve had tremendous partnerships in Jefferson City, Jackson County and Kansas City, Missouri,” Hunt said. “That partnership is not over and we look forward to working together in the years ahead.”

The Chiefs originally planned an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium in a joint effort with